THE WHY of Our Theology Cohorts
For you
As J.I. Packer once said, “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” It’s the most important thing because it shapes everything else we do in life. Whether we believe God is just affects whether we trust him when life is hard. Whether we believe God loves us affects whether we look for love elsewhere. What we believe about God as a father affects the way we relate to our children. What we believe about Christ and the church affects the way we live in marriage.
We often have two obstacles though when it comes to growing in our knowledge of God — First, it’s often hard to find time to study in depth and make progress on our own. Second, it’s not enough simply to grow in knowledge because the Lord calls us to apply that truth to life.
That’s where this cohort can help. In this cohort, we’ll aim to grow together in both theological skill and application of that truth to daily life. It’ll be an investment of time, but God willing, an investment into your long-term life as a Christian.
For the church
When churches raise up leaders in the pattern of Jesus the org chart is flipped and leaders serve. But one key way they serve is not just in godly character, and not just in practical help, but in contribute theological strength to the church. For example, deacons who serve in practical ministry are the “hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” Leaders can serve others by being equipped and holding that mystery of the faith.
But for this to work we must have strong godly leaders at all levels and in all areas of the church. When serving people in grief ministry, many will deal with questions about God’s character. When serving in ALPHA, many will answer questions and interact with people who are exploring the faith. When serving in worship, the songs we sing, the Scriptures we read, and the encouragements we share will flow from our understanding of the word.
By being part of the cohort you’ll strengthen the whole church.
For the city
El Paso is, in many ways, a theological desert. Traditionally a strongly Catholic area it’s quickly becoming a place where millennials and Gen Z have little religious faith at all. Geographically isolated from other evangelical seminaries, large Word-oriented churches, and ministries, there is a great need here. Many Protestant churches are dealing with aging congregations and pastors. And there has, so far, been little church planting and renewal effort in the city.
One of the brothers from the church once remarked on this situation saying, “The evangelical Calvary isn’t coming.” But another brother replied with a smile, “Well brother, the Lord has sent us though and we are here.”
By being part of the cohort we have the opportunity to make a difference in a city with great gospel need.
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Our Commitment to You
To give you the best of what we’ve learned as elders over many years
To be available for questions, encouragement, and personal help
To provide good and edifying resources that will hopefully serve you for years to come
Your Commitment
Faithfully attend the cohort meetings (If you’ll miss more than a few meetings it may be better to wait to participate until next year, or work with an elder to develop a customized individual meeting plan)
Faithfully do any pre-reading and assignments
Faithfully present to the best of your abilities in class
Time commitment of meetings is 90 minutes per month
Reading commitment per month is about 50 pages of theological reading per month
Writing commitment is about 500 words per month